Hey all, I recently bought a used 94 325is with 60k. It has been sitting in storage until the winter finishes dumping snow on us. In a few weeks I'm gonna take her out but want to get it tuned up first. I will bring it to a mechanic who works on my friend's BMW (and other German cars) but was wondering what exactly should I have him do since I'm unsure of the extent of the last tune up from the previous owner?

Thanks for your help...

You should have had a mechanic familiar with BMW's check it out before you bought it. I do all my own work, but I took it to a mechanic for a pre purchase inspection. Well worth the $60...

Change all the fluids (Oil, Tranny, Diff, Brake, Clutch, Power Steering, Coolant) and filters (Air, Oil, Auto Trans, Cabin) Replace the hoses, belts, and spark plugs.

When you change the coolant, you should also replace the Water pump. The original pump has a plastic impeller which usually fails. Make sure you buy one with a metal impeller. Also, change the thermostat and replace the plastic housing with a metal one. You might as well change the cooling hoses while you are there. The car takes a special Antifreeze specific to BMW, so get it at the dealer or a BMW shop. Otherwise, you will have problems with corrosoion. When you bleed the brakes, bleed the hydraulic clutch also, as they share the same fluid.

Check the CV joint boots for tears, and check all the suspension components for excessive play.

If you are doing all your own work, you need a shop manual. Order the manual from the publisher Bentley, it seems to be the most popular. You can find it on Amazon.com. You can buy the Haynes book at Pep Boys while you are waiting for the Bentley book. Also, search E-Bay for "ETK TIS" These are the CD-ROM's that the dealer uses to repair the car. It is probably the best source of info (and also the cheapest at $20 or less)
the hoses and belts

Don't forget fuel filter-

Oops...I forgot the fuel filter. I don't know how I could forget that. I had a 97 Chevy Astro company van which just died while driving it. The fuel filter hadn't been changed in 50K and was clogged up. Very important item.

There are several other critical things you should check. One is the rear shock mounts (RSM's). They are known for going bad, and worst case scenario, they could result in a cracked shock tower. Another which you can't really inspect is the Rear trailing arm bushings. (RTAB's) Your car undoubtably needs them since it is older. I'm about to replace mine just as a matter of course. I understand when they are bad it affects handling pretty bad. Also, you need to get under it and check out the drive shaft flex disk (Guibo). This is a rubber-reinforced disk that connects your drive shaft to your transmission. I checked mine last week and it is cracked pretty bad. Your car is older so I'm sure it will need this done as well. As long as you are tuning it up, you should replace the O2 sensor as well. They say this affects performance and milage adversely. Bimmerparts.com has them on sale right now for $89 (I think), as well as the Aluminum Thermostat housing for $20 (great price). You can probably do a Fault Code check via the gas pedal method with your car since it is OBD I. This will tell you if your computer is seeing any engine control problems. You don't necessarily have to have a engine check light come on to have fault codes. Contact me if you don't know how to do the fault code check, its really easy to do. This site contains a wealth of information. One quickey (a quickey is always good!) is how to reset oil change and service lights via pin 7 method. Apart from serious engine work, or engine electrical problems, many (if not all) of the things suggested to you on this thread can be done yourself if you've got some basic tools. Or you can pay a mechanic $1000+ for labor. (I figure all the things that have been mentioned so far are about 12-14 hours of labor) If you have questions about how to do something, do a search on that topic. There are many good detailed write-ups for DIY projects. don't be afraid to contact me via AOL instant messenger (DakarM3Pilot), I sit behind a computer all day at work and am usually pretty bored! (as you can probably tell from the length of this post) Bimmerparts.com is about the cheapest you'll find parts out there. I just ordered a ton of stuff for my car and they had excellant service! shipped in 2 days! I figure I saved at least $100 on a $350 part order compared to the dealer cost. Avoid the $tealer! Where are you from in MD? I spent a good bit of time in Severna Park and Crofton. Good Luck -- MG